Green Man goes virtual and presented "Field of Streams"

If you didn't know, Green Man Festival is an award-winning, independent music, arts, comedy and science festival held in the breathtaking surroundings of the Brecon Beacons, Wales. The festival is comprised of ten unique areas – from comedy, literature to mindfulness, theatre and contemporary dance.

This year, Green Man is thrilled to present ‘Field of Streams’, a virtual event taking place on 22 - 23rd August. Expect never-before-released sets, including Father John Misty, Eels, Stella Donelly and Adwaith, make sure to tune in live as the sets will only be available as they stream!

Alongside this will be a line-up of performing arts, with specially commissioned shows from the finest Welsh performing artists around - Krystal Lowe, Hijinx, Kitsch & Sync, Pocket Rocket Productions, Wheelabouts, Light, Ladd and Emberton, Kris Hubble & 9 Foot Stories.

There will also be a special performance from Pictish Trail on the Isle of Eigg, plus an exclusive virtual preview screening of White Riot, Rubika Shah’s film following the Rock Against Racism movement of the ‘70s, revealing the power of music in activism and social change. 

We caught up with Johnny Lynch from Pictish Trail for an exclusive interview;

JL: "Hullo. Pictish Trail is the name I use for the music I release. It often gets described as folk, but I think that’s just because I’ve got a beard. I think the music I make is like Ed Sheeran, but if Ed Sheeran had a nervous breakdown and had to decamp to a remote island, grew an unruly beard and wrote songs about thumbs."

RM: What do you have planned for the live performance?

JL: I’m on my own, up here on Eigg - all my band live on the mainland.  So I’ll be doing a solo show, using the equipment I’ve got in my shed. Some of it is quite dusty. A lot of my musical equipment is in storage on the mainland - before lockdown started, I was about to go on tour. But yeah, the tour got postponed until 2021, and I’ve been locked in quarantine on Eigg since March. I hope my performance for Green Man captures some of my desperation.

RM: How’s lockdown been for Pictish Trail and the Isle of Eigg?

JL: It’s been all about looking after my kids - who are both very young. I was panicking a wee bit at first, worried I wouldn’t be able to provide for them - but I’ve been very fortunate with grants, and folks buying merch from my online shop. I’ve not had the headspace to write new songs, but I’ve immersed myself in releasing music by other people on my Lost Map label.

RM: What’s next for Pictish Trail?

JL: The nursery has just reopened, so I’m looking forward to having a bit more time to be making music again. Preparing for this performance for Green Man has been really good, actually - I’ve had a chance to muck about with my old guitar pedals, and recording equipment.

The Green Man Rising band competition, with venues closed, it's never been so important to give artistic talent a chance to shine saw 1800 bands applied, 40,000 online votes were cast and leading music industry figures will select the final winner who will bag a slot at next year's Green Man Festival and get a £750 development prize. Hear who wins on Adam Walton’s BBC Radio Wales show from 10pm on 22nd August

A whole host of visual and digital arts from artists that have been showcased at Green Man - Sean Harris, Jennifer Taylor, Megan Broadmeadow, Calum McCutheon and Gweni Llwyd. As well as yoga, family workshops and a virtual burning of the Green Man himself. Adding to this will be a radio line-up, including a Green Man Radio takeover of Penarth Sounds on 23rd August, exploring highlights, mixes, playlists, and much more from Green Man’s 18 year history.  

Father John Misty's contributions to the Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5 are available now for the first time at all DSPs.

Father John Misty’s “To S.” b/w “To R.” is the singer’s double A-side contribution to Sub Pop Singles Club Vol. 5, and his first new, original, studio material since his acclaimed 4th album, 2018’s God’s Favorite Customer. These gorgeous, meticulously rendered tunes were recorded at Fivestar Studios and Funky Monkey Soundhaus NoHo in Los Angeles, produced by Dave Cerminara and The Haxan Cloak, mixed by Cerminara, and mastered by Adan Ayan at Gateway Mastering.

“To S.” and “To R.” follows Father John Misty’s Off-Key In Hamburg, his first live album, released in March of 2020, and Anthem +3, a collection of covers of songs by Leonard Cohen, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and Link Wray was released in July 2020. Combined, Off-Key In Hamburg and Anthem +3 raised over $100,000 for multiple causes including The Recording Academy’s MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, CARE Action and Ground Game LA. Father John Misty is also selling his infamous “Poem Zone” t-shirt via his official webstore, with August proceeds from the store benefitting his touring crew. 

The online event will be streamed for free on Green Man’s Facebook, Youtube and Mixcloud pages on 22nd August. Full schedule and timings coming soon, but check out https://www.facebook.com/greenmanfestival now to be kept up to date!